Hi Greg, I used Pledge Orange Oil wood cleaner to clean mine. But I do remember and old wives tale that someone told me that you can use Future floor wax on wood paneling to make it shine, and it smells good too! Good Luck with the restore!
We used Pledge to clean ours and then used tung oil to revive the finish. I want to poly the surfaces to lock in the glow it has now but I want to research further before I do that. Happy Trails, Ed
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1967 Safari Twin "Landshark" w/International trim package
1999 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT FORUMS MEMBER SINCE 12/16/2004 AIR#7110
"My tire was thumping, I thought it was flat! When I looked at the tire... I noticed your CAT!" Burma Shave
While ours was semi-gutted anyway, I lightly sanded and refinished with a poly-somethingoranother (i.e., water-based) varnish. That was hands-down the easiest part of the job!
Lynn
I use 0000 steel wool to apply johnson's paste wax then buff it with a nice soft terry towel. The steel wool cleans and levels the existing finish. Bad areas with a lot of dirt and grime clean up very nice with this method. For periodic cleaning "cabinet magic" works very well. A bit better cleaner than pledge, and still leaves a nice luster.
I used cotton cleanser, followed by the 0000 steel wool, then wood feeder with bees wax. Before and after pics: Note - these are different drawers in the pics but the result is the same.
I used cotton cleanser, followed by the 0000 steel wool, then wood feeder with bees wax. Before and after pics: Note - these are different drawers in the pics but the result is the same.
WOW!
John, Great progress! I think the mice will stay away in the future just out of respect.
I'm not familiar the the products you used. Can you post some more info on "Cotton Cleanser" and "Wood Feeder"
Looking great! Looks like you are having your own throw-down with your varmint collection. LOL!
I would suggest 320 grit sand paper followed by Watco Danish Finishing Oil. Wait 24 hour, repeat, wait 24 hour repeat... until you have the sheen you want. After about 8 coats, the surface will be like glass. I prefer to stop after 4 coats for I do not like to fill all the grain totally. The Watco gives a flawless finish that is durable and easily repaired. A once a year coating will keep it brilliant and is so easy to do. Unlike other finishes, it brings out the figure in the grain. Just a note, the veneers and plywood used in Airstreams is not the best quality. If you take the woodwork out into sunlight you will see how often the panels were stapled together. If you sand it to bare wood, it might be difficult to hide the wood filler without re staining, so only lightly scuff the wood as to smooth the surface with out removing too much patina.
Our PO sanded and refinished the wood our trailer. They did a decent job with Minwax Oak stain over the original walnut (I think). I would have prefered the original but it will be a heck of a job to recover the original look. 1966TW_SO246012
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Neil and Lynn Holman FreshAir #12407
__________________ You never hear of people dieing in their Airstream, only at home and in hospitals. So, live long by getting out and enjoying your Airstream.
Barry & Donna Life is short - so's the door on an Flying Cloud (ouch)
This is a link to the wood feeder I've been using. I'll have to check the can of cotton cleanser for more info on that.
I've found more evidence of previous mouse nests in the trailer that were removed before I got it. Just nasty drawer bottoms. Nothing I can't deal with, though. I just thank God that the belly pan had been removed by a previous owner. I do not want to think of the mess that must have been in there.
Check out my blog for more pictures, including the biggest mouse nest ever recorded. 1961 Airstream Restoration
Very cool trailer you're doing. Keep the updates coming.
We have a 59 Tradewind we've been working feverishly on the past few weeks -- getting ready for a rally in Michigan in May.... You can see our pics in the Members' photos.
John, Great progress! I think the mice will stay away in the future just out of respect.
I'm not familiar the the products you used. Can you post some more info on "Cotton Cleanser" and "Wood Feeder"
Looking great! Looks like you are having your own throw-down with your varmint collection. LOL!
Ok, found the info on the wood cleaner. It's called Kotton Kleanser, and my wife found it in an antique shop that specializes in refinishing. Here's a link to the product: Kotton Cleaser
I use the cleaner in the jar with the blue writing.
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Very cool trailer you're doing. Keep the updates coming.
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